Right Here
by mariel24j
Summary: Josh comes home to a loving Donna, and a lovely surprise...AU fluffiness!


Title: Right Here  
  
Author: mariel24j  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: They're Aaron's, and always will be.  
  
Category: J/D AU, angst-free romance  
  
Spoilers: some small ones through season two.  
  
Feedback: please please please, but be gentle with me, it's my first posted fic!  
  
A yoooge thank you to my lovely new WW friend Kathy, who read this first and convinced me to post it—you're the best!  
  
The plane was relatively quiet for two a.m., given that the plane in question was Air Force One and the passengers included the press corp at one end and the sleep-deprived senior staff at the other. This had been the longest, and thankfully last, leg of an endless whirlwind of capitals and heads of state, so many that the faces and locations blurred into oblivion. CJ slumped in her leather seat, long legs splayed out in front of her, eyes mostly closed as she mumbled sleepy (but no less sparkling)puns to an equally slumped and rumpled Toby. Sam had passed out hours before, blissful in his ability to sleep anywhere there was a flat surface thanks to his recently-acquired "sleep-inducement system" tapes, which he had listened to on his Walkman throughout the tour, and been teased unmercifully about, and yet, there he was, in la-la land. Josh shook his head, smiling as he watched them, then returned his gaze to the darkness outside the window, wishing with every ounce of his being that he was on the ground and in a car, for then at least he could feel more in control of the speed with which he was coming home. Five years ago, a six-week trip like this was a piece of cake—he lived for the excitement, the intensity, even the sleepless nights. This night, however, all he could think of was how many things had changed since then—and what he lived for now. Who he lived, had fought so desperately hard to live, for. He absently pushed his feet into the   
  
carpet, urging the plane to get him home just a little faster.  
  
The distant sound of an approaching car filtered through the sleepy haze Donna had fallen into. She had known he was coming home tonight and was desperate to be awake when he got there, but had succumbed finally sometime after she had last checked the bedside clock at 3:45. Six years of the White House (not to mention a certain demanding boss) had toughened her in many ways, but the lack of sleep was something she had never gotten used to, and whenever possible her body forced her to catch up. She now sat bolt upright in bed, a little shaky from waking so suddenly, and craned her neck to see out the window to the street below. At this time of night the road they lived on was practically deserted, so she was hopeful. When the car passed the house without turning into the driveway, she flopped back onto the bed with a sigh of frustration. She gathered the myriad of pillows scattered around into a cohesive mountain of softness behind and around her, the one that smelled most strongly of him clutched to her chest as she rolled over onto her side. Come home to me, she thought. Come home to us.  
  
The plane had not stopped taxiing when Josh sprinted down the aisle, backpack slung over his shoulder. The rest of his luggage, yet to be unloaded from the hold, could wait and be picked up later. There was, of course, a protocol as to who deplaned first, but as soon as the President and First Lady reached the tarmac he slipped past the others, eliciting smirks from almost all of them, not to mention a suspicious wolf-whistle with a decidedly feminine flair. He held his head up and walked at his usual measured swagger until he was inside the terminal and out of their line of sight, and then took off running for the long-term parking lot.  
  
His car was slow to start, six weeks' vacation taking its toll on the battery. He let it run as short a time as he dared, then pulled out of the parking lot. If he never saw the inside of an airport again it would be much too soon, he thought. An upcoming traffic light was about to turn red; he paused at the intersection, looked both ways, and then blew right through it, smiling at the memory of an offhand comment that had meant so much.  
  
The memory of the rest of the ride home would elude him later, except for the passing thought as the house came into view that he was lucky he hadn't gotten pulled over, given that he had made the thirty-five minute trip from the airport in slightly less than twenty. Turning into their driveway and killing the motor, he sat in the car a moment, peering up at the bedroom window. The light he saw up there comforted him inordinately; even if she had fallen asleep by now he knew she had tried to wait up for him. He grabbed his backpack and got out, careful to shut the car door as quietly as possible.  
  
Entering the house, he took a quick tour of the downstairs before going up, checking the locks on the doors and turning off the few lights he knew she had left burning for him, so he wouldn't stumble in the dark. As he climbed the stairs he thought of all the similarly small but still meaningful actions she took every day to comfort him, to lighten the load of his frenetic life. Leaving a light on for him might seem like such a little thing, almost an afterthought; but he knew Donna, knew her heart at least as well as his own, and he knew these small loving gestures were intended to show him in every way possible how much she loved him. Having kicked off his shoes by the front door, he padded down the hallway in stocking feet, coming to a halt at the bedroom door. It was open slightly, the low-wattage bedside lamp casting shadows around the room. He could just make out her sleeping form, curled up in the middle of the big bed. Her hair splayed out around her head, platinum strands glowing even in the dim light. God, she's beautiful, he thought, his   
  
breath catching in his throat as he looked at her. Knowing she would want to be woken up but loving the vision of her asleep and content, he silently stripped down to T-shirt and boxers, gathering up the rumpled suit and dress shirt and tossing them into the hamper near the door. He switched off the light and was gingerly slipping under the covers next to her when he heard her breathing change abruptly, felt her come awake in the now almost total darkness, mumbling his name absently, still not fully aware of his actual presence. He turned toward her, spooning into her back and wrapping his strong arms around her.  
  
"Josh…"she whispered, still sleepy enough to question the reality of him. "Shhh…yeah, I'm right here, I'm sorry I woke you."   
  
"I wanted to be awake when you got home."  
  
"It's ok, you must be beat, I hear you have a slave driver for a boss who keeps you running even when he's not around," he chuckled into her hair as he pulled her closer to him. Curiously, as she rolled toward him she kept the pillow clutched to her stomach, creating a soft but real barrier between them.   
  
"Hey…what's with this—you suddenly prefer fluffy pillows instead of me?"  
  
"Well…you're kinda fluffy sometimes yourself, there, buddy. No, silly, this is your pillow, it smells like you—"  
  
"Ugh!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're saying I have smelly pillows? Your man is gone for six looonng weeks and all you can say is I have a smelly pillow?"  
  
"Well, I did sorta miss you a little, which is why I am currently hugging said smelly object."  
  
"So let me get this straight. I smell like a pillow?"  
  
"More like it smells like you, as I've already pointed out. Get it?"  
  
"Got it."  
  
"Good. C'mere."  
  
She opened her arms to him, watching his face carefully as she tossed the offending pillow aside and drew him closer. Nope, not an inkling yet, she thought, and waited.  
  
"Um, Donna?"  
  
"Mmmmm?"  
  
"Why are you staring at me like that?"  
  
"No reason."  
  
"Yeah, and my pillows don't stink. What is it?"  
  
"You're a pretty smart guy, I think you can figure it out eventually."  
  
"Donna…."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You are making me crazy, please tell me, what is it?"  
  
"Well, you were gone for a long time, right?"  
  
"An eternity, in my opinion," he growled.  
  
"Well, I didn't want to say anything before you left because I wasn't sure yet."  
  
"Sure about what?"  
  
"This."  
  
She reached for his hand, turning it over and kissing the palm. Josh closed his eyes for a second, amazed at his body's intense reaction to such a small act. Then she gently brought his hand down until it came to rest on her abdomen. Feeling an unfamiliar swell there, he pulled back to peer down into her face.  
  
Wait for it…. she thought.  
  
"Donna?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"Um…uh…well, I, ah… Donna?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Donna…"  
  
"Right here…," gently returning his palm to her belly. "Notice anything?"  
  
"Donna…"  
  
She looked up into his face then, and saw the realization there. She could see a million things in  
  
his eyes right now. Awe, wonder, love, fear, all wrapped up in those beautiful brown eyes.  
  
  
  
"Josh, I…"  
  
"Are you…are you really…oh, god, please tell me you are…"  
  
"I am really."  
  
"You are?"  
  
"Yes."   
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really."  
  
She felt his other arm moving up her back to her neck, pulling her gently to him, felt his first kiss on  
  
her forehead before he gathered her into a bear hug that neither of them wanted to end. She felt his heart beating a mile a minute, which would have worried her inordinately were it not for what she had just told him. She felt a tremor pass through him as he held her, and she pulled back a bit to see his face again. Knowing him as well as she did, she thought she had seen every expression he was capable of, but the look in his eyes now as he held her was new, and it took her breath away as she watched him. He was staring at her, his eyes wide and almost glassy from the emotions building inside of him. Amazement that after these last two endless years of trying they had finally succeeded in creating this tiny miracle. A fierce sense of wanting to protect her and his child from anything that might hurt them. And above all else, the overwhelming joy of being back in her arms after what seemed a lifetime away. And, he supposed, it had been a lifetime, their baby's lifetime, that he had been gone.  
  
  
  
"Never again," he whispered, his forehead coming down to rest on hers.  
  
"You mean this whole thing has you so freaked out you wanna stop at only one kid?" she chuckled, knowing full well that was the furthest from the truth.  
  
"No, I mean never again will I ever even remotely consider the possibility of leaving you for so long. I mean, look what happened this time," and they both smiled at each other broadly. Then his face turned serious again, and he brought his hands up from around her waist, cupping her chin in his warm palm, and exploring the contours of her face with a loving and gentle touch.  
  
"What are you planning on doing, telling Leo and the President you can't come out to play next time there is a long trip involved?" she teased.  
  
"Yes," he replied simply. "Nothing is more important to me than you—and…. this," running his hands down her sides to her still flat stomach, caressing and gently exploring. "And if they don't like it they can all just kiss me." Giggling, she did just that, wrapping her arms around his neck and drawing him back down to her. It was not going to be nearly as simple as all that, they both knew, but for now it was enough for her to know he felt that way even if he couldn't actually put the plan in motion without being fired.  
  
Donna gently rolled him over onto his back and curled herself into him, burrowing her face into   
  
his neck and breathing deeply. It felt like he had been gone for so long that she needed to reacquaint herself with his scent and the feel of his arms around her. Nothing in the world, she had discovered, felt quite like this—the overwhelming sensation of his body wrapped around hers. She wished she could pin it down to just one thing—the safety and comfort of his strong arms wrapped around her, the sweetness of his gentle kisses on her forehead, the miracle of his steadily beating heart so close to her own. The only word she could come up with was home. It was coming home—no matter where they ended up when this whole eight-year ride of a lifetime was over, his arms were the only home she would ever really need.  
  
She heard a tiny noise escape him and raised herself up on one elbow to look into his face, her body already mourning the feel of him so closely wrapped around her. He was smiling up at her, eyes sparkling in the dim light. She was sure there were still a million thoughts running through his head at this moment, and while she had until now assumed most of those thoughts must be scaring the hell out of him, she saw no trace of it in his face. What she saw instead made her breathless all over again. It was a look she had come to realize was one he reserved for no one else in the world but her, an awed expression of wonder, as if he couldn't quite believe she was real. He was without a doubt the most self-assured man she had ever met, but in these moments when it was just the two of them she could see the façade crumble. She, more than anyone else in the world, knew just how fragile he really was, how uncertain of his own heart he could be. But she couldn't question this look he was giving her now, this look that spoke of certainty, of passion, of forever.  
  
She leaned into the space between them until there was none, brushing her lips against his before pulling back to look at him again. His eyes had slid shut, and she kissed each lid in turn. He reached up with both hands, cupping her face again and kissing her forehead, her cheek, her chin. She whispered his name, and the silken caress of it made him groan.   
  
He hadn't kissed her properly as yet, and he meant to set that to rights posthaste. His hands   
  
dropping to her shoulders and then to her waist, he gently adjusted them until they were curled on their sides, her bare legs intertwined with his clothed ones. He kissed her then, and every panicked, doubting thought he might have allowed to creep into his brain since being told of his impending fatherhood disappeared. This was his Donna, the one person in the world who could straighten his sorry ass out, the one person who knew what he needed before he did. How could she not be brilliant at this too? And by extension, he thought, he might do a passable job himself, given that she brought out no less than the best in him. She had taught him how to feel again, how to live again. That he was here to experience the wonder of this moment at all was due almost exclusively to her love, her patience, her rules.  
  
Rules.  
  
Hmmmm.  
  
"Donna," he smiled into their next kiss.  
  
"Mmmm?"  
  
"You do realize that there will be rules involved, right?"  
  
"Rules, Joshua?" She pulled back a little to view the dimpled smirk she just knew would be   
  
on his face right about now.  
  
"Yes." Kiss.   
  
"Baby rules?" Kiss.  
  
"Many, many baby rules. To put the Joshua rules to shame."  
  
"Such as…" A deep, distracting kiss, but he would not be swayed.  
  
"Such as no coffee, no salt on the french fries you steal from me, and no more rushing  
  
around at work. Or at least slower rushing around. Oh, and get used to milk. You'll be drinking a lot of it."  
  
"Milk…ugh. Can't I at least have chocolate milk instead?"  
  
"I will see to it personally that there is a frosty glass on your desk every morning."  
  
"Yeah, right, and I'll bring you coffee every morning."  
  
"Be still my heart, she finally said she would bring me coffee!"  
  
"Not a chance, Joshua."  
  
"Can't blame me for trying."  
  
" A valiant effort, I'll grant you that."  
  
"Thank you ma'am," trying for John Wayne but sounding mostly like Josh Lyman.  
  
"So," his voice dropped to a whisper as his hands came around from her back to her   
  
tummy again, "tell me everything." Her hand laced through his and they caressed her abdomen together. She spent the next few minutes recounting the saga of the last few weeks—the stomach bug she had thought she'd picked up on the previous road trip they'd been on, the home pregnancy test she'd finally thought to pick up when the nausea wouldn't go away, the positive result she had found when she'd crept back into the bathroom, unable to stop trembling.   
  
"I wish you had told me right away. I would have come home."  
  
"That's exactly why I didn't. I did call you, though. I couldn't help it. I needed to hear   
  
your voice so badly."  
  
"I think I remember that conversation. I knew there was something up with you, I could   
  
hear it in your voice. I meant to ask you about it when I got home. Guess I got my answer, huh?"  
  
"I wanted to make sure I was right, we've been waiting for this for so long, I didn't want to   
  
get your hopes up."  
  
"Have you been to the doctor yet?"  
  
"Abbey set me up with GW's best ob-gyn, she's a doll, I love her."  
  
"See, I knew hanging out with the Bartlets would come in handy someday.  
  
"She wants to do an ultrasound, I told her I wanted to wait until you got home."  
  
"Thank you," he whispered, his smile telling her how much it meant to him to be a part of   
  
this. "I can't wait to see our very first family video." Her eyes welled up at his words.   
  
"Our family, Josh."  
  
"Our family, Donnatella. We're all right here." His hands unconsciously began to re-  
  
discover her, seeking out the changes that hadn't occurred yet, until her kisses sent him spiraling and he began to think of ways he could prove to her just how much he'd missed her.  
  
They made up for six weeks' worth of lost time, loving each other with a passion tempered   
  
by gentleness that overwhelmed them both. Afterward, Josh fell into a sated, delicious sleep, his arms and legs wrapped around her and one hand cradled protectively over her stomach. Donna remained awake, staring up at his sleeping face, wanting to burn the memory of this night into her brain. She was not a person normally given to spontaneous prayer, but she glanced for a moment past his shoulder, toward the night sky blazing with stars above their bedroom window, and whispered the fullness of her heart to heaven with a simple "thank you." As her eyes began to droop, succumbing finally to the sleep she'd been evading all night, she realized what Josh had meant. Right here, in this bed that would see pillow fights and spilled cookie crumbs, was all she needed. Her family was right here. Her husband, whom she loved with a ferocity she hadn't known existed, and the child nestled beneath her heart, who would bring them joys she couldn't even imagine yet. They were right here, and that was all she needed.   
  
Curling back into his warmth, she slept.  
  
THE END 


End file.
